Centrifugal pump with adjustable impeller



Oct. 25, 1966 E. F. OGLES 3,280,748

CENTRIFUGAL PUMP WITH ADJUSTABLE IMPELLER Efhridge E Og/es IN VEN TOR.

BY W

Oct. 25, 1966 E F. OGLES CENTRIFUGAL PUMP WITH ADJUSTABLE IMPELLER FiledNov. 7, 1953 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 E fhridge F Og/es INVENTOR.

Oct. 25, 1966 E. F. OGLES CENTRIFUGAL PUMP WITH ADJUSTABLE IMPELLERFiled NOV. '7, 1963 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Ef/rridge F. Og/es INVENTOK UnitedStates Patent 3,280,748 CENTRIFUGAL PUMP WITH ADJUSTABLE IMPELLEREthridge F. Ogles, Ada, Okla, assignor to Moe Pump Co., Ada, Okla, acorporation of Oklahoma Filed Nov. 7, 1963, Ser. No. 322,217 3 Claims.(Cl. 103-5) The present invention generally relates to a novel andimproved pump construction and more particularly relates to acentrifugal type of pump having structural features incorporated thereinwhich enables the pump to operate at an increased discharge pressure andalso enables adjustment of the impeller in relation to the housingstructure associated therewith.

An object of the present invention is to provide a centrifugal pumpincorporating a suction jet system therein to increase the dischargepressure of the pump.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a centrifugal pumphaving components thereof which may be reversible or rotationallyadjustable in relation to each other to enable the orientation of thecomponents of the pump to be varied for adapting the pump to variousinstallation orientations.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide acentrifugal pump having a novel supporting structure for the pumpimpeller in order to enable the impeller to be adjusted in relation tothe pump housing for maintaining a desired clearance relationship.

Yet another important object of the present invention is to provide acentrifugal pump having a novel bearing structure as well as a novelseal structure for retaining the pressure developed by the pump in aneffective manner.

Another salient feature of the invention resides in its simplicity ofconstruction, adaptability in installation, ease of replacement orrepair of parts and its relatively inexpensive manufacturing andoperating cost.

These together with other objects and advantages which will becomesubsequently apparent reside in the details of construction andoperation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, whereinlike numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of the centrifugal pump of thepresent invention illustrating the components thereof in assembledcondition;

FIGURE 2 is a longitudinal, sectional view of the pump assembly, on anenlarged scale, illustrating the orientation of the components of thepump itself;

FIGURE 3 is a transverse sectional view taken generally upon a planepassing along section line 33 of FIGURE 2 but illustrating the impellerin elevation;

FIGURE 4 is an exploded group perspective view of the seal assemblyillustrating the arrangement of components thereof; and

FIGURE 5 is a side elevational view of the pump impeller including thedrive shaft and manifold which receives the seal arrangement.

Referring now specifically to the drawings, the pump of the presentinvention is illustrated as being mounted on a base 12 and driven by asuitable electric motor 14 that is also mounted on the base 12. Theelectric motor 14 has the usual mounting flanges 16 thereon and is heldon the base 12 by suitable bolts 18. While an electric motor has beenillustrated, it is pointed out that the present invention is equally aswell adapted for use with a small internal combustion engine or thesource of power thereof may be any desired output shaft from any desiredengine or vehicle such as the power take-01f of a tractor or othervehicle. Regardless of how the power is supplied to the pump, it issupplied through a power shaft 20 that is coupled to the drive shaft 22of the pump 10 in any suitable manner such as an interlocked flangedcoupling 24 by virtue of which the drive shaft 22 is drivingly connectedto the power shaft 20.

The pump 10 includes basically three major components including a pumphousing 26, an impeller housing 28 on one side thereof and a drive shaftand bearing housing 30 on the opposite side thereof.

The pump housing 26 is generally a hollow annular member having agenerally U-shaped interior configuration 32 and provided with atangential discharge conduit and flange assembly 34 that may beconnected to a suitable discharge pipe. Each side of the pump housing 26is provided with an attaching flange 36 and 38 which are identical inconfiguration, shape and size with each flange 36 and 38 having aplurality of circumferentially spaced threaded apertures 40 therein.This enables the pump housing to be reversed whereby the impellerhousing 28 and the bearing housing 30 may be reversed in theirorientation for rendering the pump more universal in installation. Also,each of the flanges 36 and 38 is provided with a peripheral recess 42 atthe inner edge thereof thereby defining an enlarged opening 44 with thesurfaces of the flanges 36 and 38 as well as the recesses 42 beingmachined to provide a sealing fit and in addition, gaskets may beemployed between the pump housing 26 and the impeller housing 28 and thebearing housing 30. The bearing housing 30 includes a circular plate 46including a peripheral flange 48 abutting against the surface of theflange 38 and being secured thereto by a plurality of bolts 50. Theplate 46 is provided with a recessed portion defining an annular flange52 received in the recess 42 on the flange 38 thus fixedly securing thebearing housing 30 to the pump housing 26. Extending outwardly from theplate 46 at a point adjacent the flange 48 is a pair of diametricallyopposed supporting members or brace members 54 which converge inwardlytowards and extend axially of the drive shaft 22. The ends of thesupport members 54 are formed integrally with an annular bearingsupporting ring 56 which is internally threaded at 58 for adjustablyreceiving a bearing housing 60 which is externally threaded as at 62. Abearing housing lock nut 64 is screwthreaded onto the bearing housing 60and abuttingly engages the annular ring 56 for locking the bearinghousing 60 in adjusted relation in the annular ring 56. The lock nut 64is provided with circumferentially spaced recesses 66 or other meansforenabling a suitable spanner wrench or the like to be engagedtherewith for loosening andtightening the lock nut 64. Also, the bearinghousing 60 is provided with a peripheral flange 68 having recesses 70 orother means for receiving a suitable spanner wrench or the like forenabling rotation of the bearing housing 60 for adjusting its positionin relation to the annular ring 56.

The inner end of the cylindrical bearing housing 60 is provided with aninwardly extending flange 72 having an O-ring seal 74 in the inner edgeof an opening which rotatably receives the drive shaft 22. Also, theinterior surface of the bearing housing 60 is provided with a shoulder76 which faces the outer end thereof and abuttingly engages a pair ofdrive shaft bearing assemblies 78 that are retained against the shoulder76 by a screw-threaded cap 80 that is externally threaded at 82 forengagement with internal threads formed on the bearing housing 60 at theouter end thereof. The cap 80 is provided with a plurality of recesses84 or other suitable means for receiving a spanner wrench or the likeand the cap is rotatably engaged with the drive shaft 22 and an O-ringseal 86 is provided for sealing the cap to the shaft 22. The inner endof the cap 80 abuttingly engages the outer surface of the bearings 78 at88 and retains the bearings fixedly the sealing characteristics thereof.

within the bearing housing 60. However, the bearing housing 60 may belongitudinally adjusted for longitudinally adjusting the position of theshaft 22 inasmuch as the shaft 22 has a conductor abutting the bearing78 and a retaining nut 90 screw threaded on a screw-threaded portion 92of the shaft 22 for engaging the outer ends of the bearings thus fixingthe inner races of the bearings .78 to the shaft 22 so that the bearingassemblies will prevent longitudinal movement of the shaft 22 duringoperation thus counteracting any longitudinal thrust exerted on theshaft 22 and also enabling the longitudinal position of the shaft 22 tobe adjusted in relation to the bearing ring 56 by loosening the lock nut64 and adjusting the housing 60 in the annular ring 56 and thereafterrelocking the lock nut 64. By removing the cap 80 and also dismantlingthe drive shaft 22 from the remainder of the pump, the nut 90 may beremoved for enabling replacement of the bearing assemblies 78.

The plate 46 is provided with a central opening 94 having an O-ring seal96 in a groove therein for receiving a tubular extension or dischargemanifold 98 forreceiving a seal assembly 100 and having on its inner endan outwardly inclined plate 102 spaced slightly from the inner endthereof and disposed within the pump housing 26. The manifold 98includes a peripheral shoulder 104 spaced inwardly from one end thereofand there is a groove 106 adjacent the end thereof for receiving a splitlock ring 108 which is a retainer for the drive shaft seal assembly 100which is illustrated in more detail in FIG- URE 4.

Referring specifically to FIGURE 4, the seal assembly includes the splitretainer ring 108 and symmetrically arranged outside seal ring 110 andinside seal ring 112 and a drive shaft seal spring 114. Inwardly of theseal ring there is another assembly of outside seal rings 118 and insideseal ring 120 with their being in each instance an outside O-rin-g seal122 and an inside O-ring seal 124 and a canbon'wear ring 126 interposedbetween the seal rings 110 and 112. This entire assembly is retainedwithin the manifold 98 which has. a beveled end edge 130 by means of thering 108 in groove 106. Thus, by removing the lock ring 108, the sealassembly may be removed and the components thereof replaced as requiredfor varying The seal is constructed to hold suction or pressure from thepump which develop from either suction or pressure and the inner asillustrated in FIGURE 3. The inner ends of the vanes -140 generally areinclined in the direction of rotation of the impeller 138 while theouter ends thereof are generally inclined away from the direction ofrotation or, in effect, trail the leading ends thereof. The inner endsof the vanes are spaced from each other and the inner ends there-ofoverlie passageways 142 which extend through the hub 136 of the impeller138 and communicate with the opposite end of the hub which is engagedwith a shoulder 144 on the shaft aligned with the inner end of thedischarge manifold 98,

The impeller housing 28 is generally frusto-con-ical in configurationand provided with a longitudinal tubular extension 154 which isexternally threaded at 156 and forms an inlet passageway 158 inalignment with the space defined by the spaced inner ends of the vanes140 on the impeller 138. A suction jet system 160 is attached to theextension 154 at one end and at the other end, it is attached to aninlet pipe 162. The suction jet system 160 general y includes a hollowbody 164 screwv threadedly engaged with an adapter 166 which in turn isthreaded onto the extension 154. The body 164 is attached to a jet line168 connected with the discharge assembly 34 of the pump housing byemploying suitable connections. The body 164 also has a curved passageforming member 170 formed integrally therewith together with a jetorifice or nozzle 172 screwthreaded thereinto and having a passageway174 extending therethrough. The nozzle 172 discharges into the throat 01a jet orifice tube 176 having a flange 178 secured between the body 164and adapter 166 when assembled for retaining the orifice tube 176 inplace. The orifice tube 176 has a restricted passageway area 180 and anoutwardly flaring passageway area 182 in alignment with the passageway174 and the nozzle 172 as illustrated in FIG- URE 2.

In order to prevent trashy or sandy material from entering the sealassembly, a filter system is provided ineluding an upper filter line 184having suitable connection with the discharge side of the pump housingwith the line 184 being connected into a filter 186 extending into alower filter line 188 that has fittings connecting it to the dischargemanifold 98 and the seal assembly disposed therein. A lower suctionfilter line 190 interconnects the discharge manifold 98 and the inletextension 154 which lowers the pressure on the seal assembly with thecentrally disposed orientation of the rings 112 and 120 in relation tothe discharge 98 retaining the pressure equalized in both directionsinsofar as the seal is concerned thus serving to cool and lubricate theseal.

With the construction as described, the position of the impeller inrelation to the impeller housing may be varied so that the spatialrelationship between the vanes 140 and the impeller housing 28 may bevaried for increasing the efliciency of the pump and compensating forany wear. The bearing assemblies 78 counteract any thrust developed fromthe impeller and also enables the adjustment mentioned above. The pumpassembly is quite universal in its installation since the housing may beorientated so that the discharge thereof is in any position and thehousing may even be reversed if desired by de taching the componentstherefrom and reassembling them in a desired orientation.

The discharge manifold 98 has a plurality of vanes or fins 192 thereinwhich are designed to increase the pressure from the impeller with thevanes disposed between the periphery of the impeller 138 and the outerperiphery of the pump housing. The inner ends of the vanes 192 aresupported by the plate 102 and the outer ends thereof are supported byan annular ring 196 received in the annular recess 42 of the housingflanges 36 or 38 depending on the manner of installation. Also, theimpeller housing 28 is provided with a peripheral flange 198 receivedagainst the flange 196 with the flanges 196 and 198 being held in placeby a retaining ring 200 'and a plurality of bolts 202 which thread intoapertures A supporting bracket is illustrated for supporting the pumpfrom the base 12 and includes an upstanding annular member 204 attachedto either the bearing housing 30 by virtue of the bolts 50 or to theannular ring 200 by the bolts 202 depending upon the manner ofinstallation. Base plate 206 is provided and is attached to the base 12by suitable bolts 208 and the like and an upstanding pair of braces 210interconnect the base plate 206 and the annular member 204. The annularmember ingly engaging the annular member 204. The bracket structure forthe pump may vary as desired depending upon the installation involved.

The impeller may be disposed at a convenient angle such as 45 and isadjacent the pump housing rather than being housed therein as in usualstructures of contrifugal pumps. The angle of inclination of theimpeller and, of course, the vanes thereon may vary within certainlimits such as between 15 and 70 and the preferable range probably wouldfall within 30 to 60. This angulation in the impeller has the advantageof changing the fluid flow direction in a gradual stage by stagearrangement rather than abruptly as is done in a conventionalcentrifugal pump impeller.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles ofthe invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes willreadily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limitthe invention to the exact construction and operation shown anddescribed, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalentsmay be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention asclaimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A pump comprising a housing including an outlet communicatedtherewith, a generally conical impeller housing attached to the pumphousing and including an inlet, an impeller received in the impellerhousing and including a generally conical surface conforming with theimpeller housing, a discharge manifold including a plate received in thepump housing and having spaced vanes communicated with the periphery ofthe impeller for enabling discharge of liquid pumped from the impellerto the pump housing, drive means connected with the impeller andextending through the pump housing from the side thereof opposite to theimpeller housing, said impeller including vanes thereon extendingsubstantially throughout the length thereof and disposed adjacent theinternal surface of the impeller housing whereby the liquid being pumpedis changed from axial flow to radial flow in sequential stages, saidimpeller including a hub having a central opening therein, said drivemeans including a drive shaft received in the opening, a drive shafthousing and bearing assembly mounted on said pump housing in opposedrelation to the intake im peller, bearing means rigidly fixedlongitudinally on said shaft, said bearing means being mounted on saiddrive shaft housing in spaced relation to the pump housing and beingadjustably attached thereto whereby the position of the drive shaft inrelation to the pump housing and the position of the impeller inrelation to the impeller housing may be adjusted for varying theposition of the impeller in relation to the impeller housing, saiddischarge manifold including a tubular extension extending outwardlyfrom the pump housing in opposed relation to the impeller housing andreceiving a portion of said drive shaft, seal means within saidextension on. the manifold for sealing the drive shaft, and tube meansinterconnecting the seal means and the outlet of the pump housing forconveying lubricating liquid to the seal means, a mounting bracket,means detachably connecting the bracket to the pump housing, and a basesupporting the bracket thereon, said means connecting the bracket to thepump housing being symmetrical for connection of the bracket to the pumpat a plurality of points for enabling the pump to be installed indifferent orientations.

2. The structure as defined in claim 1 wherein said pump housing is inthe form of an annular member having a generally U-shaped transverseconfiguration, said annular member having symmetrical attaching flangeson each side thereof whereby the pump housing may be reversed fororientating the outlet in any desired position for enabling adaptabilityin installation.

3. A centrifugal pump including an annular housing in which theperiphery thereof is substantially U-shaped in cross-sectionalconfiguration and provided with generally parallel wall portions, saidwall portions terminating in circular inner edges defining an enlargedcentral opening in each wall portion, a closure plate for one of saidopenings, a drive shaft extending through said closure plate, animpeller mounted on said drive shaft and having a periphery generallyaligned with the pe riphery of the opening in the other wall portion, animpeller housing mounted on the other wall portion and forming a closurefor the pump housing, said pump housing having a generally tangentialdischarge at the pe riphery thereof, said impeller housing having agenerally centrally disposed axial inlet therein, said impeller having aconical portion extending axially beyond the pump housing and away fromthe closure plate, said impeller housing having a generally conicalshape conforming with the shape of the impeller, said impeller includinga plurality of laterally projecting vanes thereon which are closelyreceived with the interior surface of the impeller housing and generallyin parallel relation thereto, and means engaged with the drive shaftoutwardly of said closure plate for axially shifting the drive shaft andthe impeller mounted thereon in relation to the pump housing andimpeller housing for varying the pumping characteristics of theimpeller.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 100,838 3/1870Andrews 103-103 645,353 3/1900 Eisenhut 103-103 2,233,825 3/1941 Walshet al 103-88 2,483,335 9/1949 Davis 103-88 2,704,516 3/1955 Mock et al.103-88 2,900,919 8/ 1959 Anderson et al 103-114 3,010,402 11/1961 King103-103 3,185,101 5/1965 Brooks et al. 103-5 FOREIGN PATENTS 616,7053/1961 Canada. 808,796 7/1951 Germany.

MARK NEWMAN, Primary Examiner.

DONLEY J. STOCKING, Examiner.

W. J. KRAUSS, Assistant Examiner.

1. A PUMP COMPRISING A HOUSING INCLUDING AN OUTLET COMMUNICATEDTHEREWITH, A GENERALLY CONICAL IMPELLER HOUSING ATTACHED TO THE PUMPHOUSING AND INCLUDING AN INLET, AN IMPELLER RECEIVED IN THE IMPELLERHOUSING AND INCLUDING A GENERALLY CONICAL SURFACE CONFORMING WITH THEIMPELLER HOUSING, A DISCHARGE MANIFOLD INCLUDING A PLATE RECEIVED IN THEPUMP HOUSING AND HAVING SPACED VANES COMMUNICATED WITH THE PERIPHERY OFTHE IMPELLER FOR ENABLING DISCHARGE OF LIQUID PUMPED FROM THE IMPELLERTO THE PUMP HOUSING, DRIVE MEANS CONNECTED WITH THE IMPELLER ANDEXTENDING THROUGH THE PUMP HOUSING FROM THE SIDE THEREOF OPPOSITE TO THEIMPELLER HOUSING, SAID IMPELLER INCLUDING VANES THEREON EXTENDINGSUBSTANTIALLY THROUGHOUT THE LENGTH THEREOF AND DISPOSED ADJACENT THEINTERNAL SURFACE OF THE IMPELLER HOUSING WHEREBY THE LIQUID BEING PUMPEDIS CHANGED FROM AXIAL FLOW TO RADIAL FLOW IN SEQUENTIAL STAGES, SAIDIMEPLLER INCLUDING A HUB HAVING A CENTRAL OPENING THEREIN, SAID DRIVEMEANS INCLUDING A DRIVE SHAFT RECEIVED IN THE OPENING, A DRIVE SHAFTHOUSING AND BEARING ASSEMBLY MOUNTED ON SAID PUMP HOUSING IN OPPOSEDRELATION TO THE INTAKE IMPELLER, BEARING MEANS RIGIDLY FIXEDLONGITUDINALLY ON SAID SHAFT, SAID BEARING MEANS BEING MOUNTED ON SAIDDRIVE SHAFT HOUSING IN SPACED RELATION TO THE PUMP HOUSING AND BEINGADJUSTABLY ATTACHED THERETO WHEREBY THE POSITION OF THE DRIVE SHAFT INRELATION TO THE PUMP HOUSING AND THE POSITION OF THE IMPELLER INRELATION TO THE IMPELLER HOUSING MAY BE ADJUSTED FOR VARYING THEPOSITION OF THE IMPELLER IN RELATION TO THE IMPELLER HOUSING, SAIDDISCHARGE MANIFOLD INCLUDING A TUBULAR EXTENSION EXTENDING OUTWARDLYFROM THE PUMP HOUSING IN OPPOSED RELATION TO THE IMPELLER HOUSING ANDRECEIVING A PORTION OF SAID DRIVE SHAFT, SEAL MEANS WITHIN SAIDEXTENSION ON THE MANIFOLD FOR SEALING THE DRIVE SHAFT, AND TUBE MEANSINTERCONNECTING THE SEAL MEANS AND THE OUTLET OF THE PUMP HOUSING FORCONVEYING LUBRICATING LIQUID TO THE SEAL MEANS, A MOUNTING BRACKET,MEANS DETACHABLY CONNECTING THE BRACKET TO THE PUMP HOUSING, AND A BASESUPPORTING THE BRACKET THEREON, SAID MEANS CONNECTING THE BRACKET TO THEPUMP HOUSING BEING SYMMETRICAL FOR CONNECTION OF THE BRACKET TO THE PUMPAT A PLURALITY OF POINTS FOR ENABLING THE PUMP TO BE INSTALLED INDIFFERENT ORIENTATIONS.